83-19 116th Street, Queens, NY 11418

The 6-story, 59-unit New Law Tenement at 83-19 116th Street in Kew Gardens, built in 1931 and currently owned by Robert Ast, has experienced several notable maintenance issues in recent years. Most concerning was a building-wide heat and hot water complaint in March 2022, for which HPD was unable to gain access to inspect the problem, though this complaint was subsequently closed. More recently, from December 2024 to April 2025, there were issues with mailboxes that required HPD intervention, though the problem was reportedly resolved.

A significant cluster of violations was documented in May 2024, primarily involving defective self-closing doors across multiple floors, including compactor closets on the 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th stories, as well as defective bulkhead doors identified on the 6th story (both East and West sections) and double fire doors on the 4th story. These violations were classified as "C" class but showed as "Close" in the system. The building has had several inspections and complaints regarding safety systems and infrastructure.

Notable was a gas utility referral in June 2024 where inspectors were unable to gain access after two attempts, and a Local Law 188 inspection in December 2024 that found no violations at the time. An elevator issue from January 2019 resulted in an Oath Violation. The building has maintained a clean record regarding pest control, with no reported bedbug infestations since at least 2019, and passed rodent inspections in June 2013. While there are several historical violations on record, including an Environmental Control Board violation from 2019 regarding elevator phone and light issues which were resolved, the most pressing current concerns appear to be the series of door-related violations noted in 2024 and the heat/hot water incident from 2022.